Philippine President Benigno Aquino III warned to AFP that China’s efforts to claim the most parts of the South China Sea might start fear globally.

China had been increasingly assertive with its actions, creating international problems as some international fishing grounds and shipping lanes had been cut off.

According to the president, the actions of China can engender fear, not only to the nearby countries but also to the whole world. He further shared that while China had not engaged in military conflict on territorial disputes with the neighboring Asian countries and the Philippines, but it is still a possibility.

China had been claiming sovereignty on most parts of the South China Sea though some of the areas even include those off the coasts of other Asian nations. The claims are based on the demarcation line the appeared in Chinese maps that dated back in 1940’s. The Asian countries with overlapping claims include Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia.

The claims had been contested for decades, yet China recently moved to assert authority in the areas which made tension rise. It was in 2012 when Filipino Navy had a standoff with Chinese maritime patrol vessels. Soon, China had taken control of the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone called Scarborough Shoal.

There had been some satellite images showing China constructing activities to expand its control in the reefs of Spratly Islands. The images further showed aircraft runways stretching from the jungles of the island towards where the coral reefs used to be. Where there were once naturals reefs is now a manmade harbor. Aquino said that the two airstrips can pose defense concerns for the country.